Here’s a link below to a three-minute tribute to fall featuring my favorite shots of the fall season here in Western NC.

When you go to the link, ignore any pop-up to sign in or register; just X it out. Use small arrows, lower right of video to go full screen (bigger the better), and turn up the volume!

A few notes: All photos were shot within about an hour of our cabin, which, covered by last year’s late fall snow, is featured near the end. And the final scene was captured just outside our back door as we left for home last year.

Like this:

“Ouch! A poke in the eye is imminent for one of these sparring young males. The jabbing antler was partially broken off, leaving a short, blunt tip still capable of doing serious injury. Although eye injuries are apparently fairly common among bulls during the rut, happily a later photo from this same sequence showed no injury.”

“Every year when we gather on the lawn of the Palmer House for brunch, I take at least a half dozen shots of the house in the late morning sun. The last few years, the Palmer House as subject matter felt pretty stale to me. Been there, done that.

Not so this year! Following Bob’s lead, I started shooting with my camera in panorama mode where multiple shots are stitched together in-camera. Such creative fun! Shooting while twirling, undulating, rocking or just moving my body any which way gave wonderfully unexpected and unpredictable results. A whole new way of altering reality without touching Photoshop!”

LL Louis Sasso writes…

“I know that we were in the valley to photograph the elk, but while waiting for one to appear, the way these trees seemed to be communicating with one another and to me said that they wanted to get into the action too.

What can I say, trees speak to me. They told me the crop; they felt that the graphic design was excellent; and they were communicating from trunk through the limbs and leaves. And, I always do what I’m told to do.”

From Linda Vanetta…“During the last of week January 2015, I took a trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone led by photographers David Hartfield, Bill Lea and Chris Norcott…”

Red Fox by Linda Vannetta, Best of Show at Foto Fest 2015

In attendance were 6 other fellow photographers. It was a great tour with many opportunities to photograph beautiful landscapes and a variety of wildlife including buffalo, red fox, coyote, wolf and bobcat.

The red fox were seen near Colter Bay in the Teton National Park. They must be fairly used to people as they didn’t seem too skittish and we were able to get some really nice shots. I was using my Nikon D90 with my 75-300 lens, on tripod of course. Crop factor gave me a bout 420 at the long end. Still, a 600-800 would have been real nice, especially with other wildlife that were further away than I could close in with what I had.

The Tetons and Yellowstone are especially beautiful in winter time and I highly recommend going. And going with the above photographers is even better. We were shuttled around the Tetons in SUVs and in Yellowstone we were in guided snow coaches as no regular private vehicles are allowed on the roads during winter time.

In May, I participated in the “Paris Through My Lens” street photography workshop, conducted by Valerie Jardin. I discovered her in a podcast by Darlene Hildebrand of the Digital Photography School. Valerie is originally from Normandy, France, a huge benefit to the ten students. Her pointing us in the right direction each day was every bit as invaluable as her street photography smarts and the training we received.

The workshop begins with a tutorial, illustrated mostly with Valerie’s work. The rules are simple: a) Seek timeless captures; b) no “postcard” shots; and c) “Bring me a view of the Eiffel Tower I’ve never seen.”

Conversation by Duke Miller

For six days, Valerie shepherded us to strategic locations. We then set out in teams of two, photographing people in the act of being themselves, creating “street portraits” (posed), and occasionally shooting just things that identify surroundings. Chief among her concerns were placing us in safe neighborhoods and timing the light.

Combining public transport with seven or so miles a day walking, you begin to realize Paris is a street photographer’s bliss. You could literally stand at any corner for a day and get your fill of suitable moments.

My camera of choice for street work is the Sony RX100-IIM, for its large sensor, inconspicuous design, and light weight. Most all captures are at Auto ISO, Shutter Priority (1/250 sec.), and with lens zoomed to 35mm full frame equivalent. I created a memory setting so I could instantly return to these base settings for quick response to opportunities that arose.

My takeaway: This was my seventh trip to Paris, and it occurred to me that whenever we travel, we “look” at lots of things. But on a street photography quest, relentlessly looking for appealing captures and, on many occasions, interacting with subjects, you truly “see” things, and you get to know more of the culture. The common hesitation to approach strangers vanishes quickly. (I was only turned down three times out of hundreds of opportunities in the six days!) In hindsight, the experience rates “bucket list” status. It is that exciting, that much fun, and far exceeded any expectations.

The details: Cost is $3600, includes welcome and farewell dinners; luncheon cruise on the Seine; and Hotel Les Grandes Hommes, opposite the Pantheon. ($1300 single supplement.) If you want to know more about this and other workshops by Valerie, click here.

I captured a very interesting image this morning and it made me think about how so many photographers are too quick to leave a location without waiting to see what develops. I thought you may want this for the blog so I wrote up my thoughts on the subject.

Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last.  Simon and Garfunkel

A lot has been said and written about waiting until after the sun sets to capture the best color and the strongest images. Very good advice indeed but what about shooting sunrises?

If you follow this logic in reverse it would then make sense to arrive at your location before the sun comes up. After all without the glaring, bright fireball burning a hole in your camera’s sensor you should be able to capture some very dramatic light bouncing off or through the clouds.

That does assume that there are some clouds. In both sunrises and sunsets, clouds can be one of the most important components of your image. But with sunrises clouds can make for some very interesting images after the sun comes up (but not too high in the sky).

The above image that I took on September 5th of a sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean was taken from Amelia Island. I was there before sun up, took my shots, waited for just the right light and ended up with a few good images.

When I was finished I paused, sitting on a bench with my camera still on the tripod, to just take in the beauty. As I was sitting there the clouds opened up shining a shaft of light down on the ocean below. But what made this very unusual was the cloud formation in the center of the frame. It was a cloud in the shape of a cross. To me, that makes this image very special. If I left right after the sunrise I would not have had the opportunity to capture this image.

The image was taken with a Nikon Df with a Nikon 28-300 lens. 1/125 sec, f/8, ISO 100, 180mm. edited in LR5

The lesson in this is to be patient. Slow down. Get there before the sunrise/sunset and stay afterward. Wait for the unusual and sometimes you will be rewarded.
—- Michael Ritter

Like this:

Controlling light …

Holding a diffuser. Photo by Susan “B” Lawrence

In other words,hot spots are controlled, detail is obvious, and a certain feeling is projected.

One tool that is effective in making an effective image is a diffuser. They come in different sizes, the 24″ and 32″ most popular as they cover a larger area while still being portable and collapse to a size that can be carried in the backpack.

Creating a simple shadow on a subject can sometimes create a similar effect.

Redirecting light…

Another simple technique for an otherwise lifeless image is to redirect light into the subject. Reflectors come in Gold tint for a softer light, Silver for sharper light, and white for an effect in between. They are often bundled up with a package from the same source listed above for diffusers or at many place that sells photo accessories. One could actually use a bright article of clothing or even their hand to redirect a shaft of light onto a subject.

Watching the background…

Removing unwanted bright spots in a scene can often be done using an “eraser” tool or “spot remover” in a post production program. Some photographers even carry a muted piece of fabric to place behind a small flower to cut down on distracting white spots. Think about a dark jacket in a pinch.

Bob Grytten photo

Where was I?

Taking a picture of a nearby sign can help recall our Location. A simple name with marker on a pad and photographing it can also work. And who wouldn’t like additional details about an area, especially if thinking about a later story or multimedia program.